Politics

John McCain’s frustrations are not hard to understand. Last night, he had an ugly hand to play, and he played it well, especially compared to the last debate. But after a tough stretch in the campaign during which he has been wrong-footed on the economy and side-swiped by the facile quality of his vice presidential…

One candidate succeeded in the challenge he faced last night. The other candidate fell short. The pundits tell me that John McCain needed a significant momentum changer, with Obama now leading in national polls. The pundits also told me that Barack Obama needed to effectively rebut the increasingly nasty charges from the McCain–Palin team that…

Homespun. Folksy. Straight-talking.  These may be just a few of the endearing terms pundits have used to describe Sarah Palin. But there’s another, more salient, tag floating around the Alaska governor, a secret weapon that was on winkin’ and twinklin’ display during the debate. Few Beltway commentators would dare call this stealth device by name,…

When John McCain and Barack Obama face off this evening in the second of three presidential debates, it will be like nothing we’ve seen before in this campaign season. For 90 minutes, the television tit-for-tat, the rapid-response surrogate operations, and the e-mail alerts and reminders will take a back seat in what is sure to…

She winked. He smiled. They each played to their strengths and side-stepped their weaknesses. Neither one lost. But the question of who won last night’s one and only vice-presidential debate, is an entirely more complicated question that rests on the more intangible and variable measure called expectations. The extent to which the candidate could meet…

John McCain is likely wiping sweat from his brow and sighing with relief after the vice-presidential debate.   But Barack Obama is smiling from ear to ear and with good reason. Sure, the pundits will say there was no “knock-out.”  They will say Gov. Sarah Palin held her own.  Both of these statements have a sufficient…

An ominous e-mail has been causing quite a bit of confusion for voters recently. With an urgent warning to recipients, the e-mail claims that election officials have the right to turn away any voters wearing campaign paraphernalia to the polls. So what’s up? Can you rock that “Obama Mama” T-shirt to cast your vote on…

********** SOPHIA A. NELSON Gov. Palin, what is your experience working with civil rights groups, and the critical issues affecting African-Americans? ********** LENNY McALLISTER Sen. Biden, could you please explain some dichotomous statements that you and Sen. Obama have given about taxation, fairness, and unity within America? ********** STEPHEN A. CROCKETT JR. Gov. Palin, you’re…

Geraldine Ferraro was a far better qualified candidate than Sarah Palin. But the Alaska governor does have one thing in common with the first female vice presidential candidate for a major political party: the ability to tap into a noxious strain of populist resentment that has been one of the most powerfully corrosive forces in…

f nothing else, the sycophants genuflecting to the McCain-Palin presidential campaign are experts at creating diversions. When things go bad, they call out the troops to fill the airwaves with misdirection. Or they heave Hail Mary passes, hoping to connect with their easy-to-anger supporters. In fact, they’ll do just about anything except admit to the…